The Secrets in Shade: Quest for a Cure
by Arabella Star
Summary: Cherrypaw, a shy apprentice is looking for a way to prove herself. Shadepaw, the closed tom was destined to be the villain. Generations after the Great Battle, a lethal illness rages through the Clans, and their paths intertwine in an unusual bond. Can they save the Clans and ultimately save each other? (Please, please, please, read and review!)
1. Allegiances

**Disclaimer: I do not own Warriors… yet! Note that all warriors listed in the warriors category are in order of ranking, senior at the top to junior at the bottom of the list.**

 **Notice: Please do not copy any elements of my story! Thank you!**

ThunderClan ~ 1.1

LEADER Goldenstar: golden she-cat with amber eyes and a fluffy white tail

DEPUTY Ashpelt: sleek gray and black tom with bright amber eyes

Apprentice, Copperpaw

MEDICINE CAT Silvermist: silver tabby she-cat with misty blue eyes

WARRIORS (toms, she-cats without kits)

Badgerstrike: muscular black and white striped tom with yellow eyes

Pinepelt: brownish red tabby tom with dark green eyes

Petalstorm: golden she-cat with white markings and green eyes

Apprentice, Hazelpaw

Smallstripe: handsome small tabby tom with yellow eyes

Fernrise: pretty silver tabby she-cat with green eyes

Aspenleaf: beautiful pale gray she-cat with green eyes, former member of WindClan

Spiderfur: young jet black tom with amber eyes

APPRENTICES (more than six moons old training to become warriors)

Copperpaw: pretty brown tabby she-cat with blue eyes

Hazelpaw: fluffy brown she-cat with green eyes

QUEENS (she-cats expecting or nursing kits)

Owlblossom: tortoiseshell she-cat with green eyes (Mother of Lionkit: handsome

golden and red tom with green eyes and Owlkit: brownish red tabby tom with green eyes and Briarkit: tortoiseshell she-cat with dazzling green eyes. Mate: Pinepelt.)

Lilacblaze: beautiful cream and red spotted she-cat with violet eyes (Mother of Cherrykit: pretty red, cream, and white she-cat with blue eyes. Mate: Sandstripe.)

Hollytail: pure black she-cat with blue eyes (Mother of Shadekit: handsome gray and black tom with green eyes and Blossomkit: black tabby she-cat with blue eyes. Mate: Badgerstrike.)

ELDERS (former warriors and queens now retired)

Tallclaw: big brown tabby tom with yellow eyes, born blind

RiverClan ~ 1.1

LEADER Troutstar: wise gray tabby tom with amber eyes

DEPUTY Minnowdrop: young gray she-cat with pretty blue eyes

MEDICINE CAT Marshfur: mottled brown tom with brown eyes

WARRIORS (toms, she-cats without kits)

Sandycreek: glossy golden and pale brown tom with light blue eyes

Snakebite: brown tabby tom with amber eyes and long sharp teeth

Apprentice, Nightpaw

Thornclaw: orange and striped tom with yellow eyes

Apprentice, Stormpaw

Darkscale: big black tabby tom with green eyes

Apprentice, Timberpaw

Mudfur: muscular dark brown tom with amber eyes

Dawnbreeze: pretty ginger and gold she-cat with blue eyes

APPRENTICES (more than six moons old training to become warriors)

Timberpaw: black striped tom with amber eyes

Nightpaw: pure black she-cat with green eyes

Stormpaw: silver tabby tom with dark blue eyes

QUEENS (she-cats expecting or nursing kits)

Poolflower: silver and white she-cat with blue eyes (Mother of Ripplekit: silver

tabby she-cat with blue eyes and Lakekit: fluffy gray and white she-cat with blue

eyes and Echokit: pretty white, silver and gray dappled she-cat with blue eyes.

Mate: Troutstar)

Gingersplash: ginger striped she-cat with greenish blue eyes (Mother of Otterkit: white and pale ginger she-cat with blue eyes and Pearkit: pale ginger she-cat with light green eyes and Brightkit: white tom with bright green eyes and Amberkit: pale ginger she-cat with white dapples and green eyes. Mate: Sandycreek.)

ELDERS (former warriors and queens now retired)

Shellclaw: white and tan tom with deep brown eyes

Littlespray: small brown and white she-cat with blue eyes

ShadowClan ~ 1.1

LEADER Darkstar: dark tabby tom with deep blue eyes

DEPUTY Ebonytalon: black tom with gray spots and yellow eyes

MEDICINE CAT Burdockthistle: small pure white tom with dark purple eyes

WARRIORS (toms, she-cats without kits)

Olivegaze: brown striped tom with bright green eyes

Apprentice, Chervilpaw

Redstorm: muscular brownish red tom with yellow eyes

Apprentice, Mintpaw

Hawkgaze: sleek white tom with a brown chest and green eyes

Tansyflower: golden and white striped she cat with amber eyes

Nettleleaf: pure black tom with green eyes

Violetbud: pretty silver dappled she-cat with big violet eyes

Sagemist: young black she-cat with a glossy coat and pretty green eyes

APPRENTICES (more than six moons old training to become warriors)

Mintpaw: silver dappled tom with green eyes

Chervilpaw: pure black she-cat with bright green eyes

QUEENS (she-cats expecting or nursing kits)

Cinderbrook: pale gray she-cat with light blue eyes (Mother of Rockkit: big black

tabby tom with blue eyes and Stonekit: dark gray tom with dark blue eyes and Pebblekit: pale gray she-cat with blue eyes. Mate: Darkstar.)

Mallowbloom: black she-cat with silver spots and violet eyes (Expecting kits. Mate:

Unknown.)

ELDERS (former warriors and queens now retired)

Daisypetal: white dappled she-cat with yellow eyes

WindClan ~ 1.1

LEADER Runningstar: muscular gray tabby tom with yellow eyes

Apprentice, Swiftpaw

DEPUTY Fleetfoot: pure white tom with amber eyes

MEDICINE CAT Jaggedleap: brown and black tom with brown eyes and a bent leg

WARRIORS (toms, she-cats without kits)

Bluefrost: silver spotted she-cat with bright blue eyes

Moonshadow: sleek pale grey tom with dark blue eyes

Beechheart: brown tabby with blue eyes

Apprentice, Harepaw

Brindlefur: brown and black striped she cat with yellow eyes

Apprentice, Rustpaw

Sablepelt: handsome red and black tom with blue eyes

Doefoot: sandy brown she-cat with big brown eyes

Clawflower: black she-cat with narrow, green eyes

Kestrelclaw: brown and white tom with yellowish green eyes

APPRENTICES (more than six moons old training to become warriors)

Swiftpaw: gray tabby tom with amber eyes

Harepaw: pale tabby tom with amber eyes

Rustpaw: dark ginger tom with yellow eyes

QUEENS (she-cats expecting or nursing kits)

Leafstorm: pretty golden she-cat with green eyes (Mother of Bramblekit: gold and black spotted she-cat with bright green eyes and Cedarkit: pretty white she-cat with dark green eyes. Mate: Moonshadow.)

Pansyblossom: ginger she-cat with yellow eyes. (Mother of Sparkkit: dark ginger tom with yellow eyes and Meadowkit: reddish gold she-cat with blue eyes. Mate: Beechnut.)

ELDERS (former warriors and queens now retired)

Robinwing: golden she-cat with brown eyes, born blind

Lichenblaze: handsome reddish tom with green eyes

SkyClan ~ 1.1

LEADER Squirrelstar: ginger she-cat with yellowish amber eyes

DEPUTY Sparrowcatch: muscular gray and white tom with brown eyes

Apprentice, Acornpaw

MEDICINE CAT Mistleberry: black and white spotted she cat with pale blue eyes

WARRIORS (toms, she-cats without kits)

Mountainstrike: handsome dark brown and white tom with amber eyes

Russetfur: dark ginger she-cat with a crushed shoulder bone and amber eyes

Quailpelt: golden and white spotted tom with bright yellow eyes

Thrushleap: dark gold she-cat with hazel eyes

Wingedheart: golden and white dappled she-cat with bright green eyes

Apprentice, Maplepaw

Waspsting: black tabby tom with pale yellow eyes

Desertwillow: pretty pale brown tabby she-cat with amber eyes

APPRENTICES (more than six moons old training to become warriors)

Acornpaw: white and brown speckled tom with dark amber eyes

Maplepaw: pretty tortoiseshell she-cat with amber eyes

QUEENS (she-cats expecting or nursing kits)

Cloudrise: white, pale grey she-cat with blue eyes (Mother of Finchkit: grey tom with black paws and yellow eyes, Willowkit: light grey she-cat with three black teardrop shapes on her forehead and pale greenish blue eyes and Larkkit: black tabby she-cat with dark blue eyes. Mate: Waspsting.)

Eagleglide: brown and white dappled she-cat with yellow eyes. (Expecting kits. Mate: Quailpelt.)

ELDERS (former warriors and queens now retired)

Specklewing: brown and white speckled she-cat with amber eyes

Fogtalon: grayish white tom with blue eyes


	2. Prologue

**Prologue ~**

A small sliver of moon dangled delicately from the clouds, lighting up an empty clearing in the woods. A gust of frigid wind swept abruptly through the tranquil scene, and illuminated silver blossoms swayed precariously with the night breeze.

Movement from one corner of the foreboding forest caught her eye. She turned, and lithe shapes of cats filtered slowly into the moonlit meadow, glowing eyes bright through the shadows. They shimmered like they were made of water, and as they drew closer she noticed that their bodies were translucent. She watched them intently as their fragile images crowded together into a mask of silver light. Whispers latched on to the bitter winds and flowed together till she could hear nothing more than the sound of breathing from these cats that cast no shadows.

"Silence!" A resonating voice called out, belonging to a she-cat standing at the center of the clearing. "We must give them a warning. If we send a message to one of the worthy maybe he can be stopped."

"No, Ravenstar." A grey tom interrupted. "He is too dangerous. You saw what massacre he will start. It is best not to get involved."

"Then what?" Ravenstar's eyes blazed. "We let him destroy all the Clans! We let him destroy what is most precious to them! He cannot be stopped so at least we must prepare the Clans. It is the only way…" The black she-cat trailed off, lost in thought.

Whispers of the cats started up again, louder. In confusion, she searched the crowd of cats, pushing her way through their luminous bodies. She submerged into the noise, trapped in a white light growing with fury. As the light consumed her, panicked screams rose in her throat and a hot pain laced tightly around her head.

"Help!" she called.

The light shattered into tiny shards of glistening white and she broke into slivers of darkness.

A shrill scream pierced into the silent night.

A black cat lay in the middle of the nursery, almost invisible compared to her dark surroundings. Her blue eyes glowed dully and she gasped as another spasm racked her body. The glint of tightened muscles gave away the black and white tom sitting next to her, wincing as his mate let out an agonized wail.

"Just hang in there, Hollytail." A silver tabby she-cat comforted as she ran into the bramble enforced den.

"Will she be okay? " The tom asked the silver tabby

"Queens are made for giving birth." the medicine-cat replied, her foggy blue eyes sparkling. Her paw reached over to rest on the she-cat's contracting stomach. "It's going to be a big litter."

Suddenly, the black cat's eyes flew open and she groaned loudly.

"The first is coming!" the silver she-cat exclaimed. A black kit squeaked as she fell into her father's outstretched paws.

"Quick!" the medicine cat instructed. "Nip the sack and place her next to her mother."

Hollytail purred gently through her pain as her daughter burrowed herself into the warmth and safety of her thick fur.

Another kit was born soon after, but this one was greeted with silence.

"A stillborn." Silvermist mewed plaintively.

"No! No-" the tom gasped, furiously licking his dead son. "Please come back," he whimpered.

His mate gasped inwardly and a tiny black and white she-kit slid out behind her. Silvermist placed her next to her sister, and she let out a little wail.

"Quiet my pretty love." Hollytail cooed as the a new burst of spasms tore through her.

A big dark gray kit started to form as the queen pushed through the last of her contractions. His green eyes shone like hard gems as he took his first breath.

"Born with his eyes op-" Silvermist broke off as her pupils rolled backwards into her head and she crumpled into a heap of shining fur. "Someone please come!" Hollytail wailed, and two warriors ran into the nursery.

"What happened?" A red tom called. "Are you and your kits okay?" He stopped in his tracks as he saw Badgerstrike hovering over his stillborn kit. "We're okay!" Hollytail yowled. "But Silvermist, after my last one was born…" She inhaled deeply. "Silvermist just collapsed." The queen finished lamely.

"I'll go get Goldenstar." The other warrior suggested, then ran off. The red tom gently tugged Silvermist's body out of the nursery by the scruff.

Hollytail stared at her kits, taking in their fragile state and delicate beauty. _Tiny little shadows of the strong warriors they will become. They will become something so much bigger…. My kits._ The queen smiled although her eyes were coated with a flimsy mist as she remembered a few days back when her first born, Spiderfur, had his warrior ceremony.

"Badgerstrike." Her soft voice coaxed her mate, breaking through the bubble of his silent sorrow. "Please come here, my love, help me name our three kits."

"Our four." He responded, but picked up the stillborn and carried him to his mate.

"I know, I know." She soothed, the meaningless mantra hushing him. "Look, Badgerstrike." A kit feebly turned to face her father.

"The firstborn of the litter." He smiled, but his eyes were empty.

"Badgerstrike, please. What do you want to name her?"

"How do you feel about Blossomkit?" He offered.

"That's a wonderful name." Hollytail purred, then glanced, concerned, at the spot where Silvermist collapsed. "How about we name our other pretty daughter Mistkit, after Silvermist?"

"That suits her perfectly." Badgerstrike agreed, eyeing the silver swirling over her black pelt. "I want to name the stillborn too, so that the Clan can offer him to Silverpelt. What about Silentkit?"

His black mate licked the unmoving bundle between the ears. _He would have been so handsome… Is this my fault? Why did he never get to take his first breath?_ "Silentkit," she echoed, a splitting pain bursting in her chest. Hollytail melted into a river of tears and leaned on her mate, crying for the kit who never was.

Nobody recalled the dark gray tom lying under the depth of the endless night.

Maybe when they found him they felt guilty for momentarily neglecting their last kit.

But maybe, when it was all over they wished they had left him there in the shade.

For the name that they gave him foresaw his invisible flame that tore the Clans down.

The darkness inside him that overwhelmed the whole of the forest.

Long live Shadekit, the forgotten.

May he always be remembered for what he truly was.


	3. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1 ~**

Her eyes were closed, but she could tell morning had dawned on the forest. Red tainted the small kit's vision and for a moment she longed to open her eyes to see light. Light, a meaningless word to her, for she had never seen anything before. The bundle of fur had never witnessed anything other than the warmth and safety that her mother's fur provided. They said she was beautiful, her mother, but she could tell you that just from the vibrations of joy that rolled through her when she purred, just by the melody of her whisper, or the smell of warm milk that cascaded through her.

"Cherrykit, my love, it is time to open your eyes. Your Clanmates are worried for you," the red queen murmured into her kit's ear. Cherrykit knew that her mother could tell she was awake, not pretending to sleep like the last few days. Her ears pricked whenever she heard a cat call her abnormal, but she knew it was true. A normal kit would have been excited to experience the world for themselves five sunhighs ago, but for some reason Cherrykit kept delaying it. She wanted to open her eyes, but some urge held her back, a knowing that nothing would be that simple anymore. But she had clung to the haven of her mother for far too long, and the she is sure her ignorance of the world had to end that day.

She gasped as the world spun around her, a thousand words taking true form. Bright light streamed into the enormous nursery, casting a rosy glow as the sun peeked through dazzling green brambles. Everything was so big and bright, and a pang formed in Cherrykit's head as she assimilated her surroundings. The tiny bundle of fur was lying in a mossy bed, her mother, Lilacblaze, smiling beside her. Other queens and kits lay around them in a bramble enforced dome, and she noticed a small entrance that lead out to camp.

"Cherrykit!" her mother exclaimed triumphantly. "You finally opened your eyes- they're gorgeous!" She could feel warmth rising in her cheeks as Lilacblaze surveyed her intensely. After a moment, her ginger head stooped down and licked the fur between her kit's ears affectionately. "Do you want to see camp? Owlblossom's kits have been yearning to go out all morning, but she wanted them to wait for you. If you don't want to I'm sure they would understand. So what would you like to do?"

"I um- I guess I'll go see camp with Owlblossom's kits…" Cherrykit's voice was surprisingly clear and ringing, like a softer version of her mother's. "Where are they?"

Lilacblaze gestured to a moss bed on their right, occupied by a tortoiseshell queen and three kits. "Have fun!" she waved Cherrykit off, then lay down and shut her brilliant violet eyes.

Cherrykit wobbled slightly as she tried to walk over as gracefully as possible. The closer she got, the more reluctant she was with her decision to go with the other kits. The teetering kit considered bailing out, but suddenly she was a mouse length away from them.

The kit furthest to the left was illuminated by streaks of light, but anyone would have noticed him in the pitch dark. His fur was fluffy and bright gold as if he were branded by the sun. He had a funny sort of expression on his face, a twisted grin. Cherrykit realized that he was laughing at her, but trying to hold it back, which obviously wasn't going well. He was snorting wildly, making awkward noises that sounded like choking. _Well at least he has good intentions, or he is smart enough to know not to laugh at someone in front of his mom._ The next kit was a tortoiseshell with dazzling green eyes who was busy fighting with her other brother, a brown tabby. _Despite them being a little older than me, of course they're stronger, more talented at walking, and probably more attractive too. It keeps getting better!_

She felt like a big dope just standing there, but finally Owlblossom turned around from breaking up her kits' fight. "Oh hello Cherrykit!" she greeted. "I see you have finally opened your eyes!" Cherrykit decided to be very interested with the ground and stood there mute. _Is that all that people will say to me? Wow! You_ _ **finally**_ _opened your eyes! It's a miracle from StarClan!_

"Well, dear," the tortoiseshell queen meowed after an awkward silence. "This is Lionkit." Cherrykit tentatively glanced up to see the golden tom staring at her, the strange grin still plastered across his face.

"Briarkit, Owlkit, come here now!" Owlblossom bellowed, sighing as they batted at each other and bounded back towards their nest. "I'm Owlblossom, Briarkit is the she-cat and Owlkit is the brown tabby, but you probably already figured that out." When no response came, she smiled warmly and meowed, "Let's talk rules for camp. Keep the noise down, don't disturb the warriors, stick together, don't run into any dens, don't play with food or herbs, yowl if you are in immediate danger, no running or fighting or playing with sharp things, come back here by sunhigh and **no going outside camp**. Do I make myself clear?" The kits all nod, Lionkit embellishing his with an exasperated eye roll. The youngest kit secrety gawks at her, in awe that she didn't take a breath while droning on for that long. "Now go have fun and be safe!" Owlblossom commanded and three sets of paws bounded out of the nursery, leaving Cherrykit to toddle behind.

She cautiously padded out of the nursery, careful not to be pricked by loose brambles. Only then did she truly understand color. Camp, a green clearing, little blue flowers drowning in the sea of verdant grass. Thick woodland surrounds it on all sides, like a dense wall of crimson and amber. The sky was everywhere, a fading canopy of coral, mauve, and magenta tainted by floating clouds edged in silver lace. Sunlight streamed down onto a massive redwood tree to her left, foliage piled up in drifts of gold around it. She realized the inside was hollowed out into a small den. In the middle of camp, a plentiful pile of fresh kill lay on a tree stump, plump squirrels, mice, and birds waiting to be feasted on. Across from her, a large patch of shrubbery was housing apprentices, next to a thicket of trees, their branches forming an awning over what could only be the warriors den.

Cherrykit barely managed to catch up to the others when they abruptly halted and she plowed into them, then ricocheted backwards. "Hey!" came a startled yelp as she slammed into the grass.

"Sorry!" Briarkit quickly apologized. Cherrykit regained her footing and caught Lionkit covertly snickering at her. _So he's smart, not good intentioned._ She immediately blushed and glanced down, but to her surprise, Briarkit moved next to her and glared back at Lionkit. "Lionkit!" she scolded. "Don't make fun of her like that."

"Sorry," he drawled. "But she should watch where she puts those clumsy paws of hers." Owlkit stood there, wide-eyed as Briarkit yowled and launched herself into a tussling ball of fur with Lionkit.

"I'm sorry about running into you," Cherrykit softly blurted.

"Don't be," Owlkit purred after a moment. "Lionkit's a jerk sometimes. And this is actually entertaining." Cherrykit stifled a grin as Briarkit spat and ruffled her fur. Lionkit growled back before pouncing on Briarkit and they were off again, tumbling around camp like some crazed, bloodthirsty warriors. "Well that's one rule broken!" Cherrykit pointed out, with a sliver of a smile. Owlkit shooted her a lopsided grin, then his eyes widened. He froze and backed away slowly in alarm, his tiny claws unsheathed.

"What's wrong?" Cherrykit whispered.

"So-someone is behind you." He warned, a look of wild terror in his big eyes. She whirled around and comes face-to-face with a very old and angry looking cat with scraggly fur. "Ya kits er driving crazy! The elders den is right behind ya in that old bramble thicket. I'ma tryin' to get some shut eye so ya better tell yer littermates to bug off er else I'll take ya back to the nursery! Ya clueless kits hear me?" He yowled, the stench of his breath nearly unbearable.

"Y-yes." The small kit stammered.

"Good. Now don't ya wake me up from my naps. Go away." He muttered, and with an unhappy swish of his tail he vanished into his den. Briarkit and Lionkit came curiously padding over, conflict long forgotten.

"We could have gotten into big trouble and it would have been all your fault!" Owlkit furiously reprimanded.

"Well it didn't happen, okay?" Lionkit shot back.

"I was just defending Cherrykit!" Briarkit protested.

 _I could have stood up for myself! Why does everyone have to assume that I can't do anything?_

"Cherrykit can stand up for herself!" Owlkit grumbled.

 _Well said, hypocrite._

"Well I know you thought it was funny. I caught you laughing at us, admit it!" Briarkit retorted. "And you!" She glares at her fellow she-kit, green eyes blazing. "You were laughing at me too, and I was defending you!" she frowned, then strutted off bitterly.

"Briarkit, wait!" Cherrykit hollered and ran after her, but somehow ended up splayed across the ground, legs uncooperatively pawing the air.

"How... dignified!" Lionkit chortled.

"And you're the one to judge?" She scrambled back up to her feet hotly and attempted to regain her fallen pride. Briarkit grinned at Cherrykit, her hostility long forgotten. "That was great! You really showed him!" she beamed estatically. Cherrykit found herself smiling too, Briarkit's energy and enthusiasm contagious. Lionkit and Owlkit ambled over, Owlkit ranting about how, "Owlblossom said we need to stick together!"

"Was that flea-ridden nasty cat an elder?" Briarkit asked disgustedly.

"Yeah," Owlkit answered. "His name is Tallclaw. I heard he's been the only elder for moons. He was always grumpy, but apparently he turned into a recluse after his mate-" Lionkit flicks his tail over Owlkit's mouth and whispered words that were snatched away by the crisp leaf-fall breeze.

"What?" the she-kits chorus, but Owlkit shook his head. "Nothing," he said dismissively. Cherrykit doesn't believe him, something aberrant about the exchange, but she gets the feeling not to push.

"Please! Tell me!" Briarkit whined, evidently missing the social cues. Lionkit sighed loudly, and walked off, Briarkit climbing over his paws. Cherrykit and Owlkit exchanged an amused look and bounded after the squabbling littermates.

"Let's go to the warriors den!" Briarkit suggested, bobbing up and down through a flourishing patch of tall rushes. Cherrykit looked up at the warriors den, its intimidating demeanor making her shrink into the blades of grass.

"I thought we weren't supposed to go in there." Owlkit frowned disapprovingly.

"Of course we aren't!" A maniacal grin spread across Briarkit's face.

"That's the point, Owlkit," Lionkit snorted as he ducks under a sweeping branch marking the entrance. In a second Briarkit had her jaws down firmly on Cherrykit's scruff, dragging her into the den, startled protests trailing in a thin ribbon behind her.

The warriors den was airy and light, exactly the opposite of its outside appearance. Intertwining branches sheltered it from rain, but the top was open to the sapphire skies and rich sunlight. The kits glanced up in astonishment, watching puffy white clouds drift lazily in a soft breeze. Moss is piled up in different clumps in the ring of flame colored trees. Cherrykit's luminescent blue eyes scanned frantically around the bedding for a warrior's pelt, but the moss was bare.

"I told you there would be nobody here! ThunderClan is too good for cats just to sleep all day! They're all out patrolling!" Briarkit chimed, running around in excited circles. "This is where I'm gonna be! I want to live here!" She staggered dizzily over to the corner and promptly falls into a heap of fur.

"I don't think this is a good idea." Cherrykit swiveled around to face Owlkit, who had reluctantly followed them in.

"I didn't either," Cherrykit mewed, "but I got dragged in anyways." She glanced up at Briarkit who was dancing around the den, banging into trees and scattering bedding up in the air like dewdrops.

"I think she takes pride in being crazy," Lionkit said smugly, but the tone he used is almost endearing.

Briarkit's ears twitched, but she just grinned and kept hopping around like a crazed rabbit. Cherrykit smiled back, privately envying her carefree joy.

"We should play moss-ball with the pieces you just ruined!" Lionkit remarked, his words dripping in utter sarcasm.

"Yes! That sounds like fun!" Briarkit chirped, and started collecting the shredded remains of moss into a crumpled ball. "Come on Cherrykit, help me!"

"That sounds like a wonderful plan! Please Cherrykit, come help me make a mess of the warrior's den!" an amused voice mimics. Briarkit silenced and dived into the moss pile, wildly burying herself. The other three kits spun around to the voice, meeting the amber eyes of a dark gray tom. The sun highlighted the tightened muscles bunched underneath his glossy pelt, and as he strode over, black fur shone on his chest.

"We're really sorry! We promise we won't ever come in here again. We can even help clean the moss up," Owlkit babbled nervously.

"Hey! He offered to clean up, not me!" Lionkit objected.

"Easy now kits," the warrior chuckled, his voice throaty but kind. "Kits always come and mess up the warriors den. The reason I came here was because Owlblossom has been frenzied looking for you. She said you promised to come back to the nursery at sun-high."

"We did?" Briarkit's head poked out of the moss.

"Yeah, when she was ranting about not going out of camp," Lionkit confirmed.

"Let me escort you kits back to the nursery," the gray warrior offered.

"We'll be fine, thanks," Lionkit dismissed, but Owlkit leapt in front of him meowing, "Of course!"

The warrior's eyes lighted up in hilarity. "It wasn't up for negotiation," he informed, then ushered the four kits out into the clearing once more. _I'm glad he finally found us,_ Cherrykit thought. _All that walking is tiring and I'm sure I would embarrass myself somehow at moss-ball._ As the kits trotted past the apprentice's den, Cherrykit noticed a pretty brown tabby grooming herself catch the gray warrior's eye. She acknowledged him with a flick of her tail, then strolled towards him, her blue eyes reflecting the sky. "Ashpelt," she greeted. "I thought you said you were going to take me battle training at sun-high."

 _So she's his apprentice. That explains his affection towards her._

"Sorry, Copperpaw," Ashpelt mewed apologetically. "I have to take these kits back to the nursery and then we can go. How about you go get something to eat?"

"Sure," she shrugged good naturedly and sauntered over to the fresh-kill pile. Lionkit glared at her with obvious distaste. "Sure!" he belittled, in mock enthusiasm. Ashpelt sternly stared down at him, his intensity swiftly silencing Lionkit's insults.

Cherrykit glanced behind her at Owlkit who was completely mortified. "I can't believe Ashpelt is walking us back to the nursery! I'm going to get into so much trouble," he whispered to the creamy she-kit.

"Why?" she asked, her big blue eyes soft.

"Well, we're keeping Copperpaw from her training, we wandered into the warrior's den and shredded the bedding, woke Tallclaw up from his nap, and now Ashpelt has to bring us back. He has a lot to do, being the ThunderClan deputy." Owlkit stopped talking and studied Cherrykit's utter confusion."You didn't know he was deputy, did you?"

"Umm… well-"

" **You're** gonna get into trouble!" Briarkit interrupted disbelievingly. _Perfect timing Briarkit!_ Cherrykit thought, relieved that she had gotten out of humiliating herself again.

"The perfect Owlkit is gonna get in trouble! Oh no, was he so bad as to forget to bring fresh-kill back to Owlblossom! Honestly, you are obviously her favorite. I mean which queen decides to name one of her kit's after her, for StarClan's sake!" Briarkit huffed, and stomped up to Ashpelt, her fur bristling. _She does have a point,_ Cherrykit realized, _but she doesn't have to be so mean about it._ Owlkit stood there for a second, hurt gleaming in his large green eyes, before hesitantly following the group.

"I'm sure she didn't mean it," Cherrykit sympathized, and he smiled at her gratefully. Cherrykit could feel her gut drop as she made out her mother's cream and red pelt gleaming in front of the nursery. She could see Owlblossom waiting as well, pacing back and forth nervously.

"Owlblossom," Ashpelt announced. "I found your missing kits playing moss-ball with the warrior's beds." A hint of entertainment edged his voice.

"Oh really? Well thank you, Ashpelt. I'm sorry to bother you with these nuisances," she responded coolly. The deputy dipped his head in farewell and as he reeled around to leave, Cherrykit caught a glint of humor in his sparkling amber eyes.

Briarkit padded up to her mother with a hopeful look, but Owlblossom furiously whipped around, her composure long gone. "I can't even-" she started, then shook her head. "Briarkit, Lionkit, Owlkit, in the nursery. NOW!" Owlkit shot Cherrykit a scared look, then ducked under the brambles. "Wait Owlkit, you can go back," Owlblossom coaxed. "I'm sure you didn't participate in all that trouble. You can stay out here." She meowed, licking the soft fur between his ears. Then she looked up at Briarkit and Lionkit, their noses wrinkled indignantly. "Well! What are you waiting for?" she disfavored.

Briarkit crumpled like a leaf, her playful light gone. Instead, Lionkit seemed to grow resentful, and his seething glare burned into his apologetic brother. The last thing Cherrykit saw was their tails as they stormed off, lashing like the blades that just pierced their heart.


	4. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2 ~**

He had always been the quiet one, always stood to the side. His mother didn't want to coo over his brightly colored eyes or to praise the dragonfly he had caught like she did with Blossomkit. His memories were a collection of secret glances, the lonely moon blinking back at him as he stared up at the empty sky. Chilly winds ruffling his fur as he stood all by himself, wondering what he did wrong. _Nothing really, little one,_ the stars simpered. Standing under the teasing stars, their twinkling forms bringing him false hope that when the sun rose, reality would be just another nightmare. And then the sun would rise, illuminating the world he knew, and his heart would sink. If only he would wake to his real mother whispering softly in his ear, her soft form curled around his. If only he was worthy. If only it was all just a dream.

The day he saw her she was crawling back into the nursery, Lilacblaze sighing beside her. Her fur shone with white detail, creeping over her pale ginger fur. He was sitting in his usual corner, his sister beside him. The kit he was watching was obviously younger than him, barely a few sunhighs old. Kit fuzz lined her ears, and her legs were tiny stumps. She was obviously having a hard time walking, stumbling in every direction. Finally her mother glanced back at her, and with a gentle smile she picked the creamy kit up by scruff and placed her in their nest. Frustration screwed up her pretty face, a rosy pink creeping up her cheeks. He smiled then, his first smile since his sister died. Something about her innocence charmed him.

And then she turned, feeling his green eyes bore into her. Alarm raced through him, and he shielded himself from her gaze but not before they saw each other. He was lost in her searching gaze, vivid blue eyes. Bluer than anything he had seen before, a clear sky filled with radiant color. They were all he thought about, how she turned and he was drowning in them.

He did not see, but she held her brilliant gaze long after he dropped his.

That night, he dreamed of his sister.

"Shadekit!" she beamed.

"Mistkit?"

The silver patterned she-kit nodded. _She looks so much happier,_ Shadekit thought. Her fur glowed with health, and as he inspected her, he saw stars sprinkled in her glossy fur. Her eyes were bright, and she seemed far less frail from the last time he saw her. He remembers her tiny body struggling for breath as she lay on the stone floor of the medicine cat's den. She had always been small and a delicate little thing, a shame that she had to be Hollytail's favorite. At only one moon she had started wheezing and passed out from lack of breath. She was revived but only lived a terrible week in which she was delirious, her fur burning, in excruciating pain. One moonhigh, Shadekit remembered pressing up against her cold fur. Hollytail had shaken her over and over again, calling her name, but she never woke up. Yet there she was, brimming with possibility and joy standing in front of him.

"Shadekit," she repeated, her sweet voice bringing back memories of her prodding him to get up, memories he never knew he had.

"Why are you here?" he asked.

"I wanted to see you," she said simply. "I wanted to see my other brother." Distantly, Shadekit heard his father explaining to him that he once had a brother, Silentkit who had never made it into the world. "He was a stillborn," Badgerstrike told him, his voice cracking.

"Silentkit. What's he like?" Shadekit asked, intrigued.

"He's so nice, Shadekit! I wish he could meet you too! I told him all about you and Blossomkit, Hollytail and Badgerstrike," she answered.

"Why can't he meet me if you're here?"

"I don't know…" she frowned, perplexed. "I feel like, I can't be here- I have to go."

"No! Mistkit!" He could only watch as Mistkit disappeared from his view, fading into a sea of white light.

"Shadekit..." a voice subdued him. "Huh?" he groaned sleepily, a black face with dark gray stripes coming into focus.

"You were shouting in your sleep," his sister informed him. "You should be quiet, you know Hollytail hates getting woken up!" He sighed, but Blossomkit was right, he would be in big trouble if he woke his mother up. "Fine," he muttered. "Go back to sleep."

Blossomkit regarded him warily, but eventually padded back to her own nest and subsided into sleep. After listening to her deep breaths for a while, Shadekit pulled himself up to his feet and lightly trod through the gaping bramble hole, his heart pounding loudly. Clean night air surrounded him as he stood, watching the glittering stars in the clearing. The sweet, intoxicating smell of wildflower filled his nose, and he raced around in a joyful circle. Brisk wind blew around him, the cold seeping through his bones. He felt free under the open sky, so free he could take off into the sky. The little bird lost in his dark world felt his eyes close, wings open. A flap and he was off to new places, a bolt of energy racing through his heart. Exhilaration built up with every second, he could feel his heart reaching into the stars, pulling him speeding into them. As he connected, a new feeling wrapped around him, enclosing itself in the depth of his heart. Power. He was Shadestar, king of the night-

"What are doing here?"

A soft, ringing voice startled him, and sheer panic raced through him. He spun around quickly, ready to weave a lie about going to the dirtplace. A tiny kit stood next to him, the one with the astounding blue eyes, the one cat he would never forget, no matter how hard he tried.

"Did you follow me?" his voice was accusing and the kit shrank back, startled.

"M-maybe," she squeaked, staring at her cream colored paws. He studied the frightened kit, and saw a glimmer of curiosity flash through her obvious panic.

"You're Shadekit, aren't you? My mom said that you're fragile because of Mistkit, who she says is sleeping with the stars."

He took a while to answer, thinking about the meaningless but striking remark. "I'm not fragile. I'm here, and Mistkit is gone now. How do you know about anything, you're that kit that couldn't even open her eyes. It's a shame you're here, Mistkit would have made a better warrior."

She flinches at his words, but meets his dark eyes in a bold gaze.

"I can prove you wrong."


	5. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3 ~**

A older kit's silhouette shone black along the lonely moor. Around her, dawn erupted, the coral and yellow flames dancing across a navy sea. She waited patiently until the luminous disk rose from the flat ground, illuminating her golden pelt. The sun seemed to envelope her until she became a ray of light, racing through tall grasses eagerly.

 _Hush-hush_ , the wind swept plain seemed to whisper. But she did not hush, just ran faster, her tiny lungs gasping for breath. Exhilaration blossomed into her tired legs, and she smiled, feeling the wind whistling past her ears. She was lost in a sea of existence, a tiny dot among everyone else. Lost in the beauty of the world around her, and very, very small. She controlled the rushing inside of her and slowed, breath ragged.

The kit seemed to reach a more elevated spot, a lookout at all of her kingdom below. There she grounded herself, stretched out her legs, and rested for a while. She raised her head to the sky as proud as could be, surveilling the land below. _Daddy's coming home today,_ was all she could think, an endless mantra of hope and fear. She had never met her father, the sleek pale gray tom with the dark eyes. In fact, all she knew of him were the stories from her mother, portrayed as a brave and wise soul with a lust for adventure. Today was the day she would meet him, and he would see his daughters.

She fidgeted nervously, licking herself clean of the normal dust and grime that managed to get caught in her fluffy pelt. Obviously, if he met her earlier, she wouldn't have to stress about a first impression. Instead, he would be oohing and ahhing over her tiny paws and the color of her eyes. But since that wasn't the case, her mother Leafstorm felt the need to prepare her in every way possible. Her father left the day after they were born, deeming the name Bramblekit after the legendary leader Bramblestar fit for "the golden one." Her littermate, Cedarkit, was named after his mother, the former leader of WindClan. Leafstorm told them that their father would be back as soon as he could, although he promised to be back the day of the second new moon by sunhigh. To Bramblekit, Leafstorm's warnings were not valid. He promised to be back by sunhigh with the rest of the adventurers, and so he would.

Waiting on top of the hill, the kit saw a golden she-cat make her way up with a white kit, her full pelt like gossamer. The she-cat, Leafstorm, padded towards Bramblekit with a matronly worry plastered across her striking face.

"Bramblekit! You left quite early this morning, little one. Let me know if you want to go, and remember not to leave camp." She smiled at her daughter, catching the look of guilt that flickered quickly by.

"I was just so excited to see Moonshadow! And once I got out, I had to go run! It was like the moor was beckoning me. It whispers to me, _come-come_ , and I have to listen. Plus you said that we should get to this hill early before the entire Clan comes back to greet the adventurers, and I just thought, well, how early is early anyways?" Bramblekit exclaimed, stopping to breathe in the cool morning air.

"Crazy furball!" Cedarkit grinned affectionately, nudging her white coat into her sister's spotted one. Leafstorm rolled her eyes and a small laugh escaped her, one that quickly transformed into a throaty purr of amusement.

"Everyone knows I am," Bramblekit replied earnestly. "That's my charm."

The kit remembered the time Pansyblossom moved into the nursery, not long after Bramblekit opened her eyes. She was in a foul mood at the time, still wanting to continue with her warrior duties, being so young. Well, after a day around Bramblekit's spirit, she decided maybe the nursery wasn't so bad after all. "That's what you do sweetie," she praised. "Charm em all and keep up the positivity."

Bramblekit didn't mind being an eternal optimist. It didn't hurt anyone, and that was all she knew, happy and good prospects. Life was nothing more than the game of moss ball, racing her sister up Heron's Hill. The open stars stretched across night skies, the thrill of running, running as far as her tiny legs could take her.

"Your coats are so messy!" Leafstorm exclaimed, vigorously grooming them with a sandpaper tongue. "Moooom!" Cedarkit wailed, and wriggled out from beneath her reach.

"Especially you Cedarkit, everything stands out on bright white!" Leafstorm stated, pulling Cedarkit back into position.

Personally, Bramblekit didn't agree. Her pelt next to Cedarkit's was a swamp next to a blizzard, both messy but only one noticeable. The blue leaf-fall sky was perfectly dotted with streams of feathery white clouds, the sun gleaming onto the bright white of Cedarkit's pelt. For a moment, jealousy flitted through Bramblekit, but she shrugged it away quickly. Her dazzling, bright green eyes were commented on almost as much as Cedarkit's fur, and the white would definitely make it hard to blend in on the moor, or anywhere else for that matter. Cedarkit had been obsessing over it ever since they turned five moons, but Bramblekit knew it wasn't going to matter. They were going to be the best warriors in WindClan, the best warriors the Clans would ever see!

"What do you think?" Cedarkit asked, her voice shaking.

"What?"

"Come on Bramblekit! I just asked if Moonshadow will like us!" Cedarkit sighed, then began fidgeting with her paws.

"Of course he will!" Leafstorm emphasized. "He can't wait to see you!" She glanced down at the kits, daring them to contradict. To her surprise, they didn't say anything, just shared a secret glance and burst into random nervous laughter.

The sun rose higher, and the dried moor grass heated as small breezes swirled around the hopeful cats, one of the hotter days. Blue sky kissed the ground, and Bramblekit made out moving shapes in the distance, closer and closer. _Can it be?_ She bounded down the hill, half sliding. Wind raced around her, harder as she pushed towards her goal. She made out colors, white cloud, sky blue, gray pelt, dark eyes. Eyes of her father's, the kind, gentle eyes that captured Leafstorm's golden heart. She sucked in more air, breath heavy and pelt on fire. _Dad, dad, dad, dad, I'm coming for him._ Her body, an arrow that raced towards her target. Colors blurred together and she felt tears spilling out of her eyes, the cold wind and hot sun confusing her. A feeling urged her to stop, so she looked up, and saw the world for the first time from a pair of dark eyes.

A warm embrace, a tentative smile. Then, "Bramblekit?"


	6. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4 ~**

"How can I be in trouble, again?" Ripplekit pouted, looking up at her mother, Poolflower's, stern blue eyes.

"That's what I'm wondering!" Poolflower sighed. "Lakekit and Echokit don't seem to, in fact the entire Clan stays out of trouble. But you, it's like trouble just follows you around! Your lucky that Troutstar is your father because if I ever did something like you as a kit, I'd be cleaning after the elders, clearing away their moss and…"

It was always the same in Ripplekit's world, she did something exciting and slightly dangerous impulsively, it didn't work out and Poolflower would yak at her till she apologized and did something else.

 _Today,_ Ripplekit reminisced as she got sent to the nursery, _was by far the best day yet!_ She had convinced Lakekit to come outside of camp with her and jump into the river. Nevermind that they couldn't swim, _I mean we didn't go in that deep,_ Ripplekit rationalized. Pale moonlight filtered through the woven reed roof, reminding her of the way the water spread, making room for her. The silver kit's thoughts drifted off as she listened to the river, the lull of the waves subsiding her into a dreamless sleep.

Ripplekit snuck out on her new mission with Lakekit just as the dawn border patrol got back, the perfect opportunity to leave undetected. The sun wasn't all the way up, so shadows hid the two kits slinking as silently as they could through the nursery. Slivers of dawn permeated between the roof reflected onto shining pelts, striping the queens' den in a badge of white blazes. This was the only guide of the two clandestine kits. Slinking around, it seemed to Ripplekit that the whole world was captured in an endless slumber, the silver kit wandering in suspended time. Around them, heaving bodies of kits and collections of pale shells were aglow in the prospects of dawn. Feathers ranging from a vivid blue to the typical gray and white were bunched into the floor, the velutinous down padding the reed floor.

Careful, careful. The kits stepped lightly, the vibrations of their little paws shaking the placid scene. Ripplekit knew that Poolflower was a light sleeper, but she had spent that night with Echokit in the medicine cat's den, so it was Gingersplash's responsibility to watch them. The red queen was too busy caring for her four kits during the day to be woken up at night, so all was clear.

Unfortunately for them, Pearkit hear the scuffling of their paws against the gossamer floor. "Ripplekit! Lakekit! Where are you going?"

"None of your business," Ripplekit shooed the younger kit off. "We're special warriors on a special mission!"

"Can I please, please, come? I won't tell anyone, promise!"

"Sure!" Lakekit shrugged. Ripplekit nudged her, but reluctantly shook her head yes.

"Yayyyy! We're going on a mission!" Pearkit exclaimed loudly, her tiny body quivering with excitement. Ripplekit gave a silencing glare, then glanced frantically around, but nobody seemed to be awoken by Pearkit's proclamation. The three kits pushed through the entrance and made their way out into the new day.

"So what are we doing anyway?" Pearkit asked as the trio crept out of camp, the reed dens and willow trees far behind.

"We want to go hunting, for mice," Ripplekit explained. "Since it's leaf-fall, the fish will be hard to catch once the river freezes over, so we have to prepare to hunt on land. Once we become apprentices, that's all we'll have to hunt anyways."

"Who told you that?" Lakekit inquired, eyes darting around as they started to enter into an area of trees, the long branches blocking out the light.

"Stormpaw did," Ripplekit retorted, taking her question as a threat. "But if he didn't you guys would still believe me, right?"

"Of course!" Pearkit exclaimed, idolizing the older kit. Lakekit only grunted, rolling her vivid blue eyes. As the kits padded along in a sullen silence, Ripplekit noticed the trees thickening, not as scattered around as moments before. The undergrowth grew denser, a barrier of earthy tones, and the trees, a bottle green canopy overhead. The silver kit started to feel greatly insignificant, captured by nature with no way to get out. She longed for RiverClan camp, the open grasses and streams, warm rocks and grainy sand. Standing there in the middle of the forest was intimidating, but with her head up, she strode onwards.

Lakekit's long gray pelt ruffled against her, and Ripplekit felt glad to have her along on their adventure. A few steps behind, Pearkit tottered around, her pale green eyes flitting nervously from side to side. Ripplekit extended her tail out to the frightened kit, and pulled her into their huddle, a ball of warmth and safety.

"We'll be there soon," Ripplekit announced, although her tail trembled vigorously. Truthfully, she had no idea where they were, and where they were going. Her stomach started to rumble, and she felt ashamed that she hadn't incorporated hunger into her plan. She bit down the panic rising up her throat, and decided that they would just have to catch more prey. Pearkit's legs shook, and she fell down, her face screwing up in frustrated tears.

"I'm tired!" she wailed. "I don't think I can walk anymore."

"Come on Pearkit! Warriors don't cry!" Lakekit urged, and more tears streamed down Pearkit's dirty cheeks.

"Warriors don't leave each other behind," she sniffled, and curled into fetal position on the padded forest floor.

"Fine!" Ripplekit said shortly, her nose wrinkling irritably. "I'll go hunting around here, and Lakekit can stay with you till sunhigh. Then we'll move and Lakekit will hunt! Fair enough?"

"Okay," Pearkit mewled, wiping away her dirt stained tears. "I guess so."

Ripplekit weaved through the gigantic trees, her heart pounding with adrenaline. She made sure to place her feet lightly, mimicking how her older brother, Stormpaw, had demonstrated. Tiny sounds of the forest confused her, the scuffling of dried leaves and vibrations of feet. Ripplekit breathed in slowly, and smelt the distinctive mouse, the delicious aroma wafting in and out of her nostrils.

She spotted it first, a plump brown thing walking lazily around the base of a tree to her left. Ripplekit remembered what Stormpaw had said, "the mouse can sense your footsteps before it sees you." Quietly lowering herself into a hunter's crouch, she padded slowly towards her target. The mouse didn't seem to notice her, but it looked up and glanced around dumbly. _I have you now!_ Ripplekit thought. She turned ever so slightly, and her empty stomach brushed against the floor, letting out a huge grumble. The mouse turned and darted away. The silver kit pursued it, but it was too fast.

"Fox dung!" she hollered, and probably scared off the rest of the prey. Ripplekit glanced up to the sky which was brighter and a deep blue, but not sunhigh yet. She hung her head, and bounded back to where Lakekit and Pearkit were resting, admitting to defeat.

Once she got there, she was in brighter spirits.

"Did you catch anything?" Pearkit chirped her big eyes filled with eagerness. Ripplekit shook her head no.

"I'm sure she will though!" Lakekit said to Pearkit, whose tiny paws deflated with disappointment.

"Yeah. Warriors never fail their missions!" Ripplekit added. "All we need is to move to a better area. Pearkit, you better be able to walk now."

Pearkit wrinkled her nose in protest. "It isn't sunhigh yet." Nevertheless, she hopped up and with Lakekit's help, they started moving deeper into the forest.

Sunhigh came upon the three kit's quickly, and Ripplekit was glad that it heated up their tired bones. She was sore from all the walking, and really wanted to go back home. But the one thing Ripplekit was sure she was not, was a quitter. In her mind failure was not an option. Death was better than failure. Defeat was something you bounce back from stronger.

"I'm hungry," Pearkit whined after a while.

"So am I, Ripplekit," Lakekit complained. "I know you won't stop, but we really, really need to eat. Can't you listen to others once in awhile? Aren't you hungry too?"

"Well of course I'm hungry!" Ripplekit snapped. "But the difference between me and you is that you give up and I keep going! I am not a quitter!"

"You just lost it! I know you're hungry and probably tired too, but don't you yell at me!" Lakekit demanded, tail lashing. Ripplekit saw her point, but just marched onwards.

"Who died and made you leader?" She muttered, the wind lashing onto her words and pulling them towards Lakekit's furious face.

"Now you're joking about Troutstar dying. You don't care about anyone but yourself, even if he's our father!" Lakekit raved. "I just can't believe you! You dragged us along on this stupid mission, and now we're gonna get in trouble and we failed! But you don't care. You'll just keep going… You know what? I quit." Her fluffy pelt quivered with anger and she swept her tail around Pearkit, storming back the way they came.

"You guys are just going to get lost! Wait and see! I know you'll come running back." She glanced after them, but they just kept on walking. Panic flooded through her. _Are they going to tell Troutstar? Let them try. I'll bring back prey bigger than the two of them._ But her panic still remained, and seemed to consume her body. "I do care about Troutstar! I do to listen! The mission isn't stupid!" Frustrated tears started to blur her sight. "Please don't leave me. Guys! I'm sorry…" But her words were too soft, a shimmering illusion of understanding. Even if her sister heard, it was too late. Ripplekit watched as they faded from her vision. She sat there, all alone in her prison of trees.

 _I'm not going back!_ Ripplekit decided, trying to summon anger to drown her fears. _They're probably looking for me now and I am not going back just to get into trouble! I will complete my mission and I will not run back like the helpless kits Lakekit and Pearkit are._ The forest seemed to grow colder as Ripplekit sat there, thinking up a plan. She would catch all the prey she could carry, deliver it to camp, then head up the river to the Gathering Hollow. There her scent would blend in and she could spend the night hidden till the morning, when she would set off and find a new home.

In her heart Ripplekit knew she would just have to face the consequences, and could never really run away from RiverClan. All her friends, her sisters, her parents were there. She couldn't leave Troutstar, her secret idol that played moss-ball with her, and set up the Training Tree, when he really had to arrange patrols. She couldn't leave Lakekit, her best friend who sometimes felt like her only sister, and Echokit who had been lying in the medicine cat's den for moons. And she couldn't leave Poolflower, constantly worrying about Echokit. Ripplekit knew it wasn't her sister's fault she was ill, yet she was so mad. Mad because Echokit got all of the attention, mad that even when Poolflower was yelling at her, she was always looking back at Echokit.

"Why do you do this to me?" was the last thing her mother had said to Ripplekit the previous day. "Why do you make it so hard? Why do you drag Lakekit, everyone into your trouble? It's already killing me, don't you see?"

 _Why? Why? Why?_ Ripplekit's paws pounded down into the cold ground. Faster, faster, faster, she ran, bitter tears seeping from her blue grey eyes. She couldn't stop, wouldn't stop running from the Clan she loved, and hated. Running till all her fantasies of leaving flew out her head that was always thinking, dreaming. She was free, broken out of the jail of her mind for a few fleeting seconds.

A strong smell startled her, and she drew back urgently. As she sniffed harder, she remarked that it was new to her, but not bad. A picture formed in her head, one of warm colors bursting from blue skies, an image that was just there, no extravagance. As she investigated, she realized it formed a type of boundary. Ripplekit hesitated, and looked up, but the forest on the other side seemed no different than the land she was standing on. Except, wait. She leaned in and smelled the scent of mouse! Right over the border, eating absentmindedly, stood a fat mouse beckoning her to eat it. _Well, boundaries are made to be crossed,_ she thought. And without any more contemplation, she strutted across the scent marker, sure she was going to make her first catch.

Ripplekit dropped her belly into an improved hunter's crouch, and stalked the mouse silently. She moved slowly, her muscles tensing as the mouse flicked its ears up as to hear her. "If you're not too loud, it can't hear you. But it can feel everything, the vibration of a pawstep, the weight of your tail," Stormpaw's voice coached in the back of her mind. "So step very, very gently." She obliged, and tucked her tail in between her haunches to hide it. Unfortunately it pushed her off balance, and she collapsed. The mouse ran, but this time, Ripplekit was ready. The kit raced towards it, blocking its path. She grabbed it and threw it against the leaf coated ground. The mouse squeaked pitifully and tried to run, but Ripplekit's hunter instincts were no match for the puny thing. Her teeth latched onto its slimy tail, and she unsheathed her claws, throwing the killing blow.

"I made my first catch!" she screamed out loud to nobody. "I did it!" Pride filled her up, and she let go of her pent up anger inside, basking in her pride. _I wish Poolflower saw this!_ Ripplekit thought. As she stared at her mouse, the hunger inside of her grew. It clouded her judgement, but her pride won the battle. She wanted to see what the Clan would say when she brought it home, basking in the dying light of sundown. She wanted to see how amazed Pearkit would look, how Lakekit would apologize. She wanted so badly to impress her father. And maybe she'd see how happy Echokit would look when she ran into the medicine cat's den holding her mouse out to her sister. Then again, all Ripplekit wanted was to see Poolflower's face shining because she was finally proud of her kit.

Ripplekit laid down next to her mouse, and started to dig a hole in the dry ground. Dirt covered her pelt completely, and she felt a wave of fatigue wash over her. Hunger let off pangs in her stomach, and her body ached from her whiskers to her silver striped tail. But she was not going to give up! The Clan needed more than just one mouse. She stood up, and even though dirt matted the glow of her fur, she let off a proud glow. Ripplekit inhaled deeply, lost in the cold wind and fresh air. A scent similar to the one she had detected that marked the border seemed to be growing stronger, and she looked around for the cause. Ripplekit whirled around, coming face to face with the strangers behind her. A sleek dark gray tom with a pretty golden and white she-cat stood in the middle of the clearing. Two apprentice sized she-cats trailed the cats, one a gorgeous reddish brown tabby, and the other brown with white markings.

"She's just a kit, Hazelpaw," the reddish one whispered.

"Silence!" The golden mentor ordered, her fur bristling.

"I see you made your first catch, kit." The gray tom pointed out, not unkindly. "You made your first catch on ThunderClan territory."


	7. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5 ~**

The first of her dreams came two moons later. She was older, her white fur turned peach, and crimson markings dashed around her face. Older, but not ready for the nightmares that awaited her as she subsided into painful sleep.

The dream was so real it haunted her for days after, the way the dark tom slashed her face and how she could feel it, feel all his hurt and feel the way her warm blood cascaded down her fur. The torment was so real. Part of Cherrykit watched the dreadful scene and part of her felt as if she were... Her, the sleek white cat that ran from the tom every night over and over again. And the agony was near unbearable. Her pain became Cherrykit's pain every night, and even when dawn lit up the sky, Cherrykit still felt every cut stinging in her pelt.

At first, there was no sound, just the dread, cold sweat, and shivers that she fought to suppress. Then the racing through the forest, and finally the torture as he hunted her the way she had seen the warriors hunt frightened mice.

But as the dreams came, there were bloodcurdling screams that Cherrykit finally realized came from Her. There were taunting whispers in the wind, too soft to hear. The trees murmured around Her in solemn voices and the tom laughed as Her blood stained the forest floor scarlet.

The sundowns were the hardest because Cherrykit knew she could not fall asleep. She fought with her weariness, but it always won, and kidnapped her into a land of terror. Cherrykit had braved a moon of visits to her dreamland before she found a solution.

She had met him a few sundowns after the incident with Ashpelt. He was running around in the clearing as if he was flying, having conversations with the chilly breezes. Cherrykit had gone back as the other kit had ordered her, knowing very well she had broke the rules by leaving camp. But the next night, she followed him out, spying on him as he shouted at the stars, his words intangible yet very, very real. She watched curiously as his voice grew hoarse, and salt gleamed at the corners of his eyes, unknown if it was tears or perspiration. And she became mesmerized as he flew up up up and only came down once the first gleam of golden appeared on the horizon.

Cherrykit approached him the day before the dreams started. "Who are you?" she asked him. He swung around to look at her, and the recognition flashed on his face.

"My name is Shadekit," he answered.

"I'm Cherrykit," she smiled. He turned away, perplexed because nobody really smiled at him. Sure he had a good share of halfhearted grins, but when Cherrykit smiled, her whole face seemed to shine. He glanced back at her shyly, only for his gaze to fall on her bright blue eyes, seemingly even brighter than normal.

And that was how their friendship began, a bright smile and a reluctant crooked one. Shadekit soon memorized everything about his friend, her odd preferences in fresh-kill to the way she woke up in sheer terror. Cherrykit had seen more sides of Shadekit than anyone else, not just his silent presence and intense gaze. He was closed off, but she broke him in. She broke out his occasional smile, the soft words he muttered to his kin offhandedly.

They were only kits, but the Clan talked. Variations of "she's good for him, you can tell," were whispered frequently. Even "they've got something special," was heard more than once. And they did have something special, something that the other kits noticed. Maybe it was that Cherrykit didn't spend as much time around the others anymore, so she and Shadekit could meet up and explore, or climb on stones around camp, or shout in time with swaying of a tree's branches meeting the sky. But the other kits didn't seem to mind, because when Cherrykit did join them for a game of moss-ball, Shadekit would tag along. As they soon discovered, the older kit was just as much a valuable playmate as his sister, and they nagged him with "join our side", and "no they're cheaters, we're better."

Even with his newfound attention, Hollytail never seemed to notice Shadekit. He never made a big deal out of it, maybe because he'd grown accustomed to it, but Cherrykit didn't get the picture. "Why does your mother not talk to you?" she asked, concern etched into her wide eyes. "Why do you have to sleep in your own nest?"

"I don't know," Shadekit always responded, because he really didn't. And from what he'd heard lately, Badgerstrike didn't either. "Why are you so harsh with Shadekit?" he whisper-shouted at his mate when he thought the kits weren't listening. "He's a good kit, do you see how he plays with the other kits now? He visits the elders, he's even got that tag-along, Cherrykit, right?"

Hollytail whisper-shouted back at him, but Blossomkit always persuaded Shadekit to leave before he could hear what she said.

When the fighting got especially bad, usually after sun-down, Shadekit left the nursery and met up with Cherrykit at their place. There he talked to her as they ran around in circles, talk about how his parents were always arguing, how he felt like sometimes the entire world knew something he didn't. And Cherrykit listened. Even though she was a naive kit, something about her made him feel stronger.

Then once he grew tired of talking, he screamed at the stars, and sometimes, she would join in too. Because even though Shadekit was trapped, only with him did she feel completely free.

They flew together, out into the dying sky. And when the liquid gold of morning seeped through the night, Cherrykit always woke in the nursery. With him, she did not dream.


End file.
